Reflections robbed again

| 20/07/2011

(CNS): Police are now investigating the latest armed robbery at one of the islands’ most robbed stores after it was hit again last night. Two masked gunmen shot and smashed their way through the glass door at Reflections in George Town and stole the cash drawer. Police reported that at about 10.55pm sales and security staff were working inside the shop just off Godfrey Nixon Way when the perpetrators began throwing rocks at the door, which was closed and locked. One of the robbers also fired a shot into the door frame before they managed to shatter the glass panel with the rocks and one of the suspects was able to climb into the store. (Photo Dennie Warren JR)

The staff members ran to safety at the rear of the store and the suspect then grabbed the cash register and made his escaped on foot in the direction of the swamp area. Despite the shots fired no one was injured in the incident, the police said.

Armed officers, K-9 and Air Operations Units arrived on scene and searched the surrounding area but no arrests have been made and enquiries continue.

The suspect who entered the store is described as being of stocky build, wearing a black long sleeved shirt & pants, white sneakers and black gloves.  His face was masked. No description is available for the second suspect.

Anyone who was in the area at the time and witnessed the robbery, heard shots being fired or saw the suspects run from the scene should call George Town police station on 949-4222 or Crime Stoppers 800-8477 (TIPS).

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  1. Danger_Mouse says:

    Am i the only person that noticed fromthe CCTV footage that the robber wasn’t wearing gloves, and opened the door handle to get in.

    Should be prints on there for sure !

  2. Anonymous says:

    911 Operator: 911, How can I help?
    Caller: Hello, I want to report a robbery hapening right now at Reflections in Godfrey Nixon Way.
    911 Operator: What’s your name?
    911 Operator: Where is your location?
    911 Operator: Your phone number?
    911 Operator: blah…blah…blah…

    by the time the operator finish questioning you the crime/robbery is done.
    How about that? Correct me if I’m wrong!

  3. Anonymous says:

    so we know they are pretty poor shots – if they can't hit a stationary pane of glass at point blank range

    • Anonymous says:

      most likely they drink or smoke a little something to get the "incentive" to do the crime and that is why their shot is off. That is also why in most cases they do not hit their intended targets….and another reason why this could be so dangerous as innocent bystanders often take the bullet. They are also a bit"braver" than they would be without the drugs.

       

       

  4. T.L. Haranguer says:

    Gun amnesty ? We need an ammunition amnesty the amount of shots these fellas setting off they must have a lot of ammo.

    This is unprecedented behaviour now in the Cayman Islands and we need we need an unprecedented reponse.

    We can not expect our policemen to take any chances when apprehending these people. There must be giving permission to use deadly force.

    If the bandits understand this they will maybe think twice before they terrorise more people.

  5. Anonymous says:

     Every 24hr Wal-Mart for example has a police car or cars patroling at night or even parked outside.  The hand full of 24hr stores/gas stations we have in Cayman are less than 10.  Even if you include the clubs, of which are pretty much closed by 3am there is no reason that the RCIP cannot pay special attention to these places as well as have the specific district patrol cars doing their patrols around neighborhoods.  Unless someone wants to say they cant.  Incompetence maybe?  Lack of staff?  Get real RCIP!!!  Hire real officers then!

  6. Anonymous says:

    Man I'm glad there's no crime in Cayman !

  7. Anonymous says:

    Wow !

    Sleepy old Cayman is becoming really exciting !

  8. Anonymous says:

    We have got to look at everything-if we catch them they all got to go to jail for a long long time and let everyone know this.

    Then why are they doing it -who knows them someone is there mother. father

     

    And yes cameras, secure doors, polce patrols and more

  9. Anonymous says:

    There is a great deal of playing the blame game and finger pointing. Let's be real, somebody somewhere knows who the criminals are, so turn them in, end of problem.

  10. Anonymous says:

    time to get on our knees again………

    • Assume da position... says:

      On our knees?  Hands up?  Or over the barrel and…

  11. Anon says:

    Why is it the business owners that open late hours do not simply get clear  bullet proof laminate installed on all of the glass in the doors & windows? It may cost a bit but the protection would be worth it and there may be an insurance premium reduction. Dumb robbers may even be caught as they waste time trying to smash through the glass.

  12. miss.lala says:

    they need to stop robbing and go work get up off dey lazy but's

  13. Anonymous says:

    I think the police need to patrol these businesses target by thieves in un mark vehicles and uniforms. Any way will it make a different if they do as the thieves/chriminals have more right than them.

  14. Anonymous says:

    here is an idea.  how about we apply our drug laws to guns then the police would only need reasonable suspicion to stop and search someone or their property. 

  15. VisitorfromNJ says:

    We all know that your beautiful Island NEEDS tourists in order to keep it alive.  These thugs are pushing people away daily!  Eventually there will be only thugs and those who were not able to get off the Island.  What would be going through their minds? I am amazed that the little Island is getting overloaded with crime.  I just read an article about crime being down…..I think NOT!!

    I was there 2 times already this year and have plans for next year, but I will be changing them if I fear for my safety.  I live in the states and yes there is crime but I would have to say that the crime in Cayman is more prevalent than here.  We have a huge population compared to Cayman!  I find it hard to believe the same place getting robbed multiple times.  XXXX  We don't have the same store getting broken into multiple times.  Usually the owners get robbed once and learn their lesson.  This is excessive!

    Peace to the people of Cayman!  Get these thugs off the streets.  Cops and business owners with guns WILL deter the criminals!!  It will! It is proven over and over again.  These criminals have nothing to fear, not even their momma's!

  16. HR Manager says:

    Employers should check all employees who match the description provided today to see if anyone has got cuts on their arms from breaking the windows! 

     

  17. Freedom Man says:

    Not "the most robbed store" in the Cayman Islands!  My business has been broken into over 5 times.  I've just stopped calling the police because they don't do anything about it.

  18. Anonymous says:

    I read some time ago where two individuals put their lives at risk to 'apprend' a couple of dangerous criminals.

    CNS: Any idea what happened to these individuals?

  19. A witness says:

    forget all this talk of arming the poice.

    give the staff of Reflections some guns.

    I figure thay should be able to 'eliminate' the crime problem

    in a matter of a few weeks!

     

  20. Shepherd says:

    And where are all these expensive highly trained K-9's????  Rubbish again!

    • Knot S Smart says:

      K-9's? We're training them to be politicians so they can someday become the Premier.

      First they have to learn to say one thing and then do the opposite, to bark a lot in the wrong direction so as to distract from the burglars,  and yes they must be willing to bite their owners and lick the feet of the foreign investors.

      They are not going to be used for petty crime.

    • Anonymous says:

      K-9's?  What a stupid comment.  Can they shoot the robbers before they shoot them?

      • Assume da position... says:

        Be pretty f-ing impressive since a K-9 is a DOG….  Wunda how many shots im a get off pon de burgla…

  21. TCM29 says:

    The lull in violent crimes a  couple of months ago had us considering coming back to your once beautiful island.

    Recent attacks and robberies have greatly influenced us to schedule our November vacation elsewhere.

    I agree there are far worse places than Cayman throughout the Caribbean, but I hate to say you are well on your way to matching their unfortunate statistics.

    It is time you elect an above average leader with one main mission- to clean up your island of the ghastly crimes and attacks on your decent residents and tourists.

    I will be reading your news frequently and hope you get your house in order. Your country is a beautiful place full of great people. Don't let a minority subculture ruin it for everyone.

     

    • Anonymous says:

      well…we are still coming for vacation! Our bikinis and bullet proof vests are packed!

  22. Anonymous says:

    Why didn't they call the police while the armed robbers were throwing rocks at the window? And if they did call them, where the hell were they?? I'm further away from the crime scene than the police station is, and I drive a piece of junk that doesn't have sirens  but I reckon I could get to reflections in about 3 or 4 minutes or less at that time of night.  I doubt the robbers could have smashed their way in, robbed the place and gotten away in that amount of time so why weren't they stopped? More importantly how did the robbers know they had enough time to commit their crime?

    • Anonymous says:

      CCTV video has now been released from the store's security camera. See it over at CayCompass. It took less than 40 seconds for the perpertrator to smash through the glass, open the door, enter the store, and leave with the cash register. 40 seconds.

      The staff reportedly sought refuge in the back and called police. Let's give them 10 seconds to get to the back and whip out their cell phones. 

      It takes 10 seconds at least to state your location and what is happening – longer if you are, oh …. maybe a bit scared because someone is smashing their way into your store to rob you. Another 10 seconds for dispatchers to alert police. By the time police even know about it the whole thing is almost over. 

      So how good is your 3 or 4 minute response time now?

      Stop blaming the RCIPS and start putting the blame where it belongs – on the criminals who are terrorizing our island.

  23. Anonymous says:

    maybe if there are no comments that "they" can read they won't get a "high" off it and they will get bored .

  24. Anonymous says:

    The nerve!  It worries me that this may cause some people to take the law into their own hands.

  25. Anonymous says:

    "……………..and one of the suspects was able to climb in to the store."

     

    At that point, in most of the USA the persons inside the store would have the right and, more importantly, the means, to shoot to kill to protect themselves and their property.

     

    The escalation of what the bad guys here are willing to do is a steep curve.  All residents of Cayman can apply for a firearms licenceunder the existing law, however, if the policy is not to grant licences, the good guys will remain at the mercy of the bad guys.  It is no good the police being opposed to self-protection, when someone is coming through your door or window there is no-one to protect you except yourself and the police are, at best, five or ten minutes away.  You are on your own.

     

    There needs to be a public debate regarding the right of the law-abiding & responsible public to be armed for self-protection and the authorities need to carefully consider that matter in the light of the experience of other countries, especially the US laws governing right-to-carry, in a calm logical matter excluding emotion. 

     

    The British system of not arming the police & citizenry only worked when the bad guys weren't armed and had an unwritten code that you didn't harm children, women and police officers.  That system of morality ceased to exist years ago but unfortunately the reciprocal rights to self-protection within the British system of justice have not  kept pace with the increasing threat.

     

    And in anticipation of the usual comments, guns do not kill any more than pens make spelling mistakes and the right to be armed must entail proper instruction in the safe use & storage of firearms by licensed instructors – I am sure that the larger security firms here are more than capable of implementing & operating such a system.

     

     

    • Anonymous says:

      "I am sure that the larger security firms here are more than capable of implementing & operating such a system."

      And this is where you are very mistaken, my friend.

      XXXX

      In all other areas of your informative comments, you are spot on..except for one little, missing detail…

      Guns are not rampantly used in every-day crime in Britain with the impunity with which they are used in Cayman, factoring in size of population and number of incidents within a sample period of time.

      The average in Britain runs to about 1 or 2 within a six-month period across the entire country in which shots are actually fired; there could be more incidents of firearms usage that do not get reported but it is nowhere as high as in the Cayman Islands, at this present time.

      When gun crime began to become more prevalent than it had been before, the police and communities came up with a community plan called OPERATION TRIDENT that focuses totally, exclusively on gun crime, the communities plagued by it and keeping it under as much control as possible…this plan includes armed British police units patrolling these areas and targeted house and vehicle searches.

      The plan also includes working with the gang culture and diverting as many youngsters from gang membership and lifestyle as possible.

      This plan is not foolproof but it has helped to stem the use of guns in Britain but the fallacy that armed police do not exist in Britain needs to be adandoned…armed police units are very much a part of British society and respond immediately and have shot perpretators dead on many occasions, when it was deemed necessary.

      The lack of action in the Cayman Islands in not taking the necessary steps to stem the tide of gun violence and robberies cannot be blamed on Britain and the deliberate denial of law-abiding citizens the access to a firearms licence in the Cayman Islands, is just that….deliberate denial on the part of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service and I am saying clear and outright, the delayed response to crimes being committed that involve firearms by the RCIPS is again…deliberate.

      As long as the law-abiding citizens of the Cayman Islands sit by and meekly allow themselves to be robbed, beaten, shot and whatever else without raising a voice in their own defense…..this situation will continue….deliberately.

  26. Anonymous says:

    Denny Warren – they sure are keeping you busy out there!

    I think the police should start getting search warrants to find these guns becuase its quite obvious that these criminals are not going to turn them in freely – why should they? They always manage to get away!

  27. Naya boy says:

    The Cayman Islands demands change Now! Mr Baines everybody is sick and tired of the big talk and intelligenty aggressive mumbo jumbo Its time the Governor needs to remove those incharge that have let this place slip into this criminal abyss Plain and simple and stop threatening law abiding citizens with arrest.

  28. Anonymous says:

    It looks like the burgler bar business is destined to be one of the pillars of the Cayman economy.

  29. Anonymous says:

    Let’s issue gun licenses to all business owners immediately. Those that want a gun get one. Those that don’t do not. Then these folks will not know what is waiting them at their next ( hopefully last) robbery!

  30. Anonymous says:

    I'm shocked……how many robberies is this now for the month of July? Dang these thieves are on a roll especially since they can't get caught or reported. Guess they feel now the bank's are too risky with all the armed security they have. Ahhh bwoy!!

    • Anonymous says:

      I am security guard. I make less than five dollars an hour. I have nothing around my belt but my cell phone. I cant carry not even hancuff. I am paid very little and my employer is threatens immigration on meall the time. No vacation and off tme like I should. Labor department is a joke. Why should I bother risk my life to protect you. WHat am I to a bullet. I may as well make money and go back to my home country. Restpectfully.

      • Anonymous says:

        11:03  I am security Guard, then why are you putting up with such stress.  i would have left long time.

  31. Caymanian Boat Captain says:

    So much for the RCIPS "aggresive intelligence led policing" Baines and his leadeship team mainly comprised of senior UK officers and Caymanian followers, are operating what appears to be "an incompetent and reactive police service" to serious and out of control criminal activity in the Cayman Islands. 

    RCIPS – Respect, Courtesy, Integrity & Professionalism. I don't think this is an accurate description as once advertised.

  32. Anonymous says:

    its time those people be given a armed guard with the rights to defend that place.

  33. Anonymous says:

    Did anyone call the police when rocks started hitting the windows?, the police should have been there in just acouple of minutes if they had!.

  34. Mrs. White says:

    To the offenders who might be coming on this and reading these comments, this is for you; GO AND GET A HONEST PAYING JOB!!! LEAVE THESE INNOCENT PEOPLE TO FEEL PROUD OF THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY AND YOU GO OUT AND TRY DO THE SAME. YOU BENEFIT NOTHING FROM THESE SENSELESS ACTS, BUT BEING BROKE AGAIN AND GOING TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN, PUTTING THE ISLAND IN A WORST SINKHOLE OF WORRY!!!!!

  35. Anonymous says:

    Time to get rid of the Police Commish and the Gov.

    • Anonymous says:

      Its time for families, friends, and neighbours to turn the thugs in. 

      • Anonymous says:

        It would happen if the police did a good job of protecting witnesses, and keeping their mouths shut.

  36. Anon says:

    Why don’t these thieves find a new occupation? Whenever they rob a business, the owners need to find the money to repair the damage, enhance security and lose goodwill from their customers who are too frightened to return to the store. Theft makes it harder for owners to pay their staff and that leads to more unemployment. It drives up the prices of goods. Compared to household bills a company has to pay 3 times as much and everyone is feeling it hard during these times. So it doesn’t matter if they rob “Joe” down the street who needs to provide for his family or a store owner who needs to pay his employees, everyone has similar bills to pay at the end of the day. The only good thing about this situation is that nobody got hurt!!

  37. anonymous says:

    This is not just a robbery this is an 'INVASION"

    a Business Invasion!  We need armed police  with trained blood hound  dogs and police with armored trucks to run these crooks down and apprehend them. Judges need to put them away forever.

    These criminals do not respect our RCIP nor its leadership.

    I bet you they respected Derek Haines and his task force and McArthur Bodden and King Bush! Yes these Cayman Police were a force to be reckoned with, send these English Bobbies back and recruit some real law enforcement please!

    • Anonymous says:

      Where is the Hotspot team or serious crime task force? Or is robbery now re-classified as a ‘not so serious’ crime?

    • I SAW IT COMING says:

      I am 100% in favor of getting rid of the boobies and the mentality that we are following America with our crime. Hog wash, crime increases when you do nothing about it. Guns dont commit crime,  thugs do.We  When the people that know these people that are friends or relatives  start getting a set of  ****** and talk then  something  can be done or when they turn on their own and they feel the pain that the public is feeling then they talk.

      take a poll CNS and see who are for arming the police. Ibeleive that we were better off with Braggs,King Bush and a few others as they did'nt care who yo mama or daddy were, you did the crime you pay the fine, TIME.

  38. Anonymous says:

    THOUGHT THERE WAS REDUCTION IN CRIME!!!?? If that is so, why have there been 4 robberies and shootings since that comment.  I have a daughter who was so happy when she was  accepted by the Police Department.  I was living overseas at the time and I told my husband that I could not live somewhere else with her here in Cayman as a trainee Police Officer, so I came back home to the "Islands Time Forgot".  Obviously we have been very well remembered all over the world, as I now regret giving away my home overseas to come back home, because here she would be safer than she would have been working overseas.  Now I am very sorry that we made that move, because it has caused a split with my husband and myself, we no longer have our home and we are no safer here than we were there.